Gigi Kammeyer

Dear Friend in Christ,

In Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Pentateuch, Moses delivers his last addresses to the Children of Israel- the progeny of an evil generation- poised on the steppes opposite Jericho this side of Jordan in the land of Moab. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, they at last are preparing to enter the promised land of milk and honey. Moses, the man who was “not a mam of words”, all of a sudden finds his voice. Moses’ addresses include a historical view, repeated appeals to observe God’s laws and dire warnings against their violations and a reworking of previous laws and the addition of new ones. The central purpose of Deuteronomy is to furnish Israel with a complete order of faith and life which is the prerequisite for a prosperous and secure existence on the God-given land.

Before going over Jordan, the Israelites must endure a reiteration of the Mosaic law. They are instructed once more that they are obliged to stone all false prophets to death. There is myth, there is drama, there is poetry. The poetry in Deuteronomy can be vitiated by a nagging reiteration of rules, rules, and more rules, tempered by threats from a God who clearly expects the worst of the people he has chosen to be special unto himself.
Again and again, Moses reminds the people of all God has done for them. He delivered them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Their most heinous crimes are recalled. They are assured that the land they are entering will be blessed in

The fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kind,
And the flocks of thy sheep.

Then Moses, in a rage, lashes out against the undeserving congregation of Israel.
For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way
I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight
Of the Lord, to provoke him to anger with the work of your hands.

The order of the stipulations in the chapters seem to purposely follow the order of categories in the ten commandments. Chapter 12 deals with proper worship expanding the understanding of the first commandment of having no other gods before them.

In the conquest most cities still stood except for Jericho, Ai and Hazor. The places to be destroyed are the worship centers and the Canaanite religion. The Lord’s chosen place of worship was clearly Jerusalem. Until then, the place was where the tabernacle was, Shiloh.

Moses served a great God. A mighty and terrible God. But also a God unforgiving beyond compare. Deuteronomy ends on one of the most poignant notes in the Pentateuch: the death of Moses. A hundred and twenty years old was he when he died, but his eyes were not dim, nor his natural force abated.
And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.
In Christ.

Gigi Kammeyer